It seems sad that BoJo’s Telegraph column is one of the few things I can bear to comment on today. Perhaps the fact that the Left now want people to boycott the Guardian because it isn’t left-wing enough is just too much for me to talk about right now, I don’t know. I suppose Boris is as close as we get to someone who is still trying to come up with things that are supposed to work on the Leaver end of the political spectrum, and given his ambitions, are even more relevant as a window into where the next few months might take us.
The article begins with a summation of events in Brexitland since June 2016. It isn’t a bad one, actually, and is the least problematic portion of the piece. It then sets out why Chequers is a disaster, again, fairly well; the final bit of the article is Boris’ “solutions” to the Brexit conundrum, centred on six main action points. This is where, as I’m sure you’ve already guessed, things fall down, at least as a logical plan. Boris himself pretty much concedes within the article that it is almost certainly too late to do anything he is suggesting, even if it would have theoretically been the way to go from the start. On this, he has a scintilla of the truth on his side: had the decision been to go for some version of Canada with the Irish border question then being the main sticking point, that would have admittedly been better than what May did. Which was, muddle around with no plan for more than a year after having initiated the Article 50 process.
Yet coming up with something better than what May has done already – low bar though that is – consists of all Boris actually has to do right now. And that is the point of the article I think some are missing here. What Boris is laying the groundwork for is Brexit failure and that being the fault of Theresa May entirely. As in, the whole thing would have worked had I been prime minister from the summer of 2016; sadly, we are where we are now, and all options need to be put back on the table (including, hush, hush, never going to say it out loud, R-E-M-A-I-N). He wants to create a narrative out of the current chaos that both gives him the best chance of getting to Number 10 and once there, the most wriggle room possible.
This is why the stuff that Boris is writing for the Telegraph at the moment cannot be judged on the text; the subtext to them is everything. He’s trying to create a story about Boris Johnson saving the country. He’s not sure how that happens yet, but he’s figured out the next step. Which is more than anyone else around him has done, so give him some credit on that one. One eyed man in the land of the blind and all of that.
So boris went to Eton and Oxford yet does not understand the irish backstop which may legally stamped last December
So Canada xxxxxxxxxxxxxx means an Irish hard border or even a united ireland economy beholden to eu rules which means bye bye northern Ireland
What I say is let the 17 million have there way and watch uk go from 5 in the world to wave bye bye to the g7 what is more egalitarian than to make everyone poor but hey we can all hope the Germans save us by opening more lidl and aldi
There is no such thing as a united Ireland economy. Most of the economic activity in Northern Ireland either takes place within Northern Ireland or east-west with Britain. North-south trade is very limited indeed. The figures speak from themselves. Surprisingly so, given all the ballyhoo that is made for the efficacy of the EU’s single market. The single market is clearly not what it is cracked up to be. So Boris is right to call for the ‘Irish backstop’ to be ditched – and pronto. No Conservative & Unionist politician should ever have any truck with such a concept. As to the G7, nothing will change as Theresa would say.
Nothing will change you say
Spoken like a true brexit deluded fantasist
The irish backstop will be enforced as simple may signed a legal document December 2017 there goes your conservative and unionist party
UK will crash out of the g7 with no deal
But I will give you hope the tories will not commit suicide and lose office for minimum 25 years
Labour with an election will agree to a customs union outside the eu so we are in but no veto reversing the 17 million vote or a parliament deadlock so second referendum remain wins
Reality sunshine
There is only ‘the’ EU customs union, there isn’t going to be a special one for just for Labour. There isn’t going to be an election either because the two-thirds of MPs aren’t going to vote for one. And there isn’t going to be a second referendum because, sad to say, Jeremy doesn’t want one any more than Theresa.
By the way, the December 2017 ‘legal document’ on the ‘Irish backstop’ has no force as yet – it is a draft statement of intent. It is part of the Withdrawal Agreement which has yet to be agreed (if it ever is). Fortunately, the whole backstop idea has now been rumbled by Dominic Raab, among others, for what it is – a politicised ruse to break up the UK as punishment for Brexit.
So you think no election no second referendum no deal brexit and the tories limp on to 2022 that’s what you believe
The tories will have to blink the eu won’t
Parliament will stop a no deal
Brexit voters will be crushed by a deal similar to the eea
I would love a no deal as the country would then see the horror show and complete my dream to see the destruction of the Conservative party
Who would you hold accountable if it is the worst disaster since suez
Will be remain 2
Leave 1
2019